The state of Florida has seen a 55% increase in reported cases of Covid19 in the past two weeks, and now has over 2000 state residents hospitalized with Covid19, according to reporting from the New York Times Coronavirus Map and Case Count.
The Palm Beach Post has reported a substantial spike in Palm Beach County in the past two weeks as the number of people seeking vaccinations has plummeted. “The state added just 168,192 residents to its weekly vaccination count Friday, the Department of Health reported, less than at any time since the first week of January.”
“Meanwhile, health officials recorded more infections among residents in the past week, 15,684, than at any point since the final week of May. The majority of those new infections, 57%, were found in people younger than 40, the health department reported.”
Although Elsa has now been downgraded from a Hurricane to a Tropical Storm, the storm has revived concerns about Covid19 spreading in hurricane shelters. Although the risk of contracting Covid in a storm shelter is clearly lower for those who are vaccinated, the chances of transmission are much higher for areas with large MAGA populations.